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Mark 8:22-26
Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.
So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.
And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."
Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
A few days ago, I listened to Ellel Ministries ‘Let’s Talk’ podcast in which the lines from Mark 8 came up in connection with Andy and Cath Taylor’s topic, which was ‘Out of Apathy’. I had never seen this connection made in that way and I felt led to look at these verses, headed ‘A blind man healed at Bethsaida’.
Looking at the way this passage is phrased, I noticed that the blind man did not approach Jesus of his own accord, but was taken before our Lord by believing friends. This is the only passage that I can think of where the healing was not complete when Jesus responded to the cry. The point is that the cry was not from the blind man himself. We always doubt the enthusiasms and convictions of those around us. We like to discover the source for ourselves.
In my own case, I can testify that my coming to know the Holy Spirit was not an instant conversion, but a slow growing to understanding. It was not a doubting of Christ, but of myself. A feeling that I would not measure up. It took me quite a while to realise that I did not have to pass an entrance exam. It was seeing through a glass, darkly instead of immediately appreciating the light from heaven.
Too often we take the word of friends or family on trust and we find disappointment, because our perspective is not the same as theirs. When we are approached by Jesus with His amazing promises — the gifts of faith and love — we can easily question such riches. Is that doubt? I suspect that we can feel it is more a case of faith is for others but that I am undeserving. Faith itself is a gift from God; friends can only offer their glimpse of heaven.
What this story reveals is that Jesus knows when we do not see clearly — when we see men like trees, walking — and He touches us again and makes us look up to the heavens until we see clearly and unambiguously. We are restored to a condition of unconditional connection to Christ Jesus. His is indeed an amazing grace. Only then can we ask, seek and take the step to knock on His door — and He is the door.
Looking at the way this passage is phrased, I noticed that the blind man did not approach Jesus of his own accord, but was taken before our Lord by believing friends. This is the only passage that I can think of where the healing was not complete when Jesus responded to the cry. The point is that the cry was not from the blind man himself. We always doubt the enthusiasms and convictions of those around us. We like to discover the source for ourselves.
In my own case, I can testify that my coming to know the Holy Spirit was not an instant conversion, but a slow growing to understanding. It was not a doubting of Christ, but of myself. A feeling that I would not measure up. It took me quite a while to realise that I did not have to pass an entrance exam. It was seeing through a glass, darkly instead of immediately appreciating the light from heaven.
Too often we take the word of friends or family on trust and we find disappointment, because our perspective is not the same as theirs. When we are approached by Jesus with His amazing promises — the gifts of faith and love — we can easily question such riches. Is that doubt? I suspect that we can feel it is more a case of faith is for others but that I am undeserving. Faith itself is a gift from God; friends can only offer their glimpse of heaven.
What this story reveals is that Jesus knows when we do not see clearly — when we see men like trees, walking — and He touches us again and makes us look up to the heavens until we see clearly and unambiguously. We are restored to a condition of unconditional connection to Christ Jesus. His is indeed an amazing grace. Only then can we ask, seek and take the step to knock on His door — and He is the door.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
Amazing grace,
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand year
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand year
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
JOHN NEWTON (1772)
AMAZING GRACE/HE IS LORD — Steph Macleod with Celtic Worship & Friends
PRAYER requires DESIRE
A GREAT MANY people do not pray because they do not feel any sense of need.
The sign that the Holy Spirit is in us is that we realise, not that we are full, but that we are empty. There is a sense of absolute need. We come across people who try us, circumstances that are difficult, conditions that are perplexing, and all these things awaken a dumb sense of need, which is a sign that the Holy Spirit is there.
[from ‘If You Shall Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]
The sign that the Holy Spirit is in us is that we realise, not that we are full, but that we are empty. There is a sense of absolute need. We come across people who try us, circumstances that are difficult, conditions that are perplexing, and all these things awaken a dumb sense of need, which is a sign that the Holy Spirit is there.
[from ‘If You Shall Ask’ by Oswald Chambers]
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‘WISE MEN FROM THE EAST’
Matthew 2:1-2
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
Scripture makes no mention of three kings. In various versions I have looked at, we see ‘wise men’ mentioned most often. The Amplified Bible has ‘astrologers’ bracketed after wise men, while others show ‘magi’, ‘mages’, ‘scholars’ and ‘spiritual priests’. The word translated as ‘wise men’ is a name given by the Chaldeans, Medes and Persians to teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, soothsayers, sorcerers and interpreters of dreams as well as the other interpretations already mentioned. But not kings.
As already suggested, there is a sense that any who follow Jesus are embodied in the three kings — and indeed the shepherds. That they are both shown at His birth reveals that they are aspects of His nature. We are to be wise as kings, and as caring as shepherds. As kings we acknowledge Him as King of kings, and as shepherds we recognise Him as the Great Shepherd of the sheep.
He will raise us to be Kings and Priests in His service, and to worship Him. The ‘kings’ are thought by some to represent the nations of the earth and bring gifts which reveal that they recognise the divine and holy nature of the Christ child, as well as His purpose for all mankind. Priests — another translation of ‘wise men’ — is the call to ministry, whatever aspect that the Holy Spirit has revealed in you. These are attributes of the true believer.
These last years have seen a great intensifying of troubles afflicting this earth — a pandemic, wars, environmental disasters on an unprecedented scale, climate change, economic chaos, and food shortages, rising crime levels, mental health issues and fuel poverty. All this and more, coincident with a steep decline in religious faith (at least in the ‘enlightened’ West).
Are these the products of ‘the end of days’? Perhaps. It seems more than enough to be going on with. LUKE 21:26 says men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken, when referring to the coming of the Son of Man. But Our Lord tells us not to fear such things. If we are true to Him, discerning the times and coming before Him as believers, worshipping and paying tribute — giving adoration indeed — then Let not your heart be troubled.
Jesus said “And where I go you know, and the way you know." Now we must walk in His way as the kings that He has raised us to be.
As already suggested, there is a sense that any who follow Jesus are embodied in the three kings — and indeed the shepherds. That they are both shown at His birth reveals that they are aspects of His nature. We are to be wise as kings, and as caring as shepherds. As kings we acknowledge Him as King of kings, and as shepherds we recognise Him as the Great Shepherd of the sheep.
He will raise us to be Kings and Priests in His service, and to worship Him. The ‘kings’ are thought by some to represent the nations of the earth and bring gifts which reveal that they recognise the divine and holy nature of the Christ child, as well as His purpose for all mankind. Priests — another translation of ‘wise men’ — is the call to ministry, whatever aspect that the Holy Spirit has revealed in you. These are attributes of the true believer.
These last years have seen a great intensifying of troubles afflicting this earth — a pandemic, wars, environmental disasters on an unprecedented scale, climate change, economic chaos, and food shortages, rising crime levels, mental health issues and fuel poverty. All this and more, coincident with a steep decline in religious faith (at least in the ‘enlightened’ West).
Are these the products of ‘the end of days’? Perhaps. It seems more than enough to be going on with. LUKE 21:26 says men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken, when referring to the coming of the Son of Man. But Our Lord tells us not to fear such things. If we are true to Him, discerning the times and coming before Him as believers, worshipping and paying tribute — giving adoration indeed — then Let not your heart be troubled.
Jesus said “And where I go you know, and the way you know." Now we must walk in His way as the kings that He has raised us to be.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
REVELATION 1:4-6
John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
WE THREE KINGS — Moya Brennan
PRAYER requires CONCENTRATION
IT IS AT first difficult to learn a new and better way of breathing, consequently we are conscious of it for a time, but it is merely consciousness of what will by habit become an unconscious possession. So in the better and new way of breathing spiritually in prayer, we shall be conscious of forming the habit, but it will soon pass into normal spiritual health.
[from ‘Christian Discipline Vol 2’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Christian Discipline Vol 2’ by Oswald Chambers]
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‘BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD’
Matthew 2:1-2
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
So let us now look at this work with the eyes of the faithful, in the full knowledge and experience of scripture and see what is revealed.
Jan Gossaert’s painting is a Biblical thesis – on the surface a statement of the Adoration by the Three Wise Men of the infant Jesus – but behind this a rich and powerful exposition of some Biblical truths. But are they truths?
The angels, shepherds and stable are only mentioned in Luke’s gospel. No one anywhere mentions the ox and the ass, nor are the visitors described as ‘kings’. Somewhere along the line, visual artists have drawn their own interpretation from the scripture, and we have learned the vision, and forgotten the words.
But just as the Bible writers – guided by the Holy Spirit – weaved their tales and prophecies and references to reveal the mystery of Christ, so Artists have used some of their own conventions and devices to give visual form to Christian ideas.
The donkey or ass had an interpretation as a beast of burden – and notably was ridden by Jesus when he entered Jerusalem towards the end – the beast of burden bearing the greatest of all burdens – He who was to bear the sins of all mankind. So it would be appropriate to show the ass as present at the birth of Christ as a reminder of the end of the story and ‘cross-reference’ within the picture – and who is to say there wasn’t a donkey there anyway?
And shepherds? They’re plausible too. The shepherd would always be present at the birth of The Lamb. And was not Jesus that ‘great shepherd of the sheep’ according to Paul?
We must at all times remember that – even if the events described in Scripture are literally true — it is unimportant. It is what the spirit of the words says to the spirit in us that counts. Christ himself speaking to the Christ in us. And if the Holy Spirit speaks Truth to us from a painting then God’s work is being done to bring us closer in our relationship to Jesus.
- The gifts are enclosed in what looks to all intents and purposes to be objects that might be found in Gossaert’s day. Gaspar’s goblet, which he has handed to Mary, is more properly a ciborium in which the host (the consecrated wafer used in the Eucharist) is kept. Here – not wafers – gold coins, one of which the Christchild is handing back – a gesture symbolic of the priest (and Christ was our Great High Priest according to the book of Hebrews) administering Holy Communion. And gold was the tribute paid by kings to a king. Jesus is the ‘King of Kings’ and He will be redeemed – not with gold – but with his own body crucified – shown here naked at birth as he would be at death. Christ the King – Christ the Saviour and Redeemer.
- The dove here – as so often – is used to represent the Holy Spirit – part of the Holy Trinity – in John’s gospel ‘I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him’ JOHN 1:32. The dove looks forward to Christ’s baptism – an event thought to have taken place on 6th January – also interpreted as the date of Christ’s first miracle and suggested as the date of the second coming. The artist is showing us here and in other picture elements the ways in which Jesus was revealed as Christ or God.
- And right at the back of the picture an angel announces the coming birth, an event plainly in the past, but in the upper centre of the picture – so this image is also to be read as a timeline showing multiple but related events. It is a sermon on Christ’s birth. The foreground is the Twelfth Night, when the Wise Men visited, but the Shepherds who witnessed the birth are still shown in attendance.
- The capital on the column to the right of Mary shows the old testament scene of Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac – a story firmly connected with Jesus as the Lamb of God – the Sin Offering of the Old Testament embodied in the Offering of Jesus life for all sin.
- The birth of Christ is immediately at the start of the New Testament – a culmination of the Old – the moment when the Law is fulfilled and replaced by the new Covenant. Law replaced by Grace, and Christ’s Church – here embodied for a Catholic audience by Mary rises out of the ruins of the old ...
- ... and Gaspar’s sceptre bears the tiny figure of Moses and the Ten Commandments – ‘For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ’ JOHN 1:17
Jan Gossaert’s painting is a Biblical thesis – on the surface a statement of the Adoration by the Three Wise Men of the infant Jesus – but behind this a rich and powerful exposition of some Biblical truths. But are they truths?
The angels, shepherds and stable are only mentioned in Luke’s gospel. No one anywhere mentions the ox and the ass, nor are the visitors described as ‘kings’. Somewhere along the line, visual artists have drawn their own interpretation from the scripture, and we have learned the vision, and forgotten the words.
But just as the Bible writers – guided by the Holy Spirit – weaved their tales and prophecies and references to reveal the mystery of Christ, so Artists have used some of their own conventions and devices to give visual form to Christian ideas.
The donkey or ass had an interpretation as a beast of burden – and notably was ridden by Jesus when he entered Jerusalem towards the end – the beast of burden bearing the greatest of all burdens – He who was to bear the sins of all mankind. So it would be appropriate to show the ass as present at the birth of Christ as a reminder of the end of the story and ‘cross-reference’ within the picture – and who is to say there wasn’t a donkey there anyway?
And shepherds? They’re plausible too. The shepherd would always be present at the birth of The Lamb. And was not Jesus that ‘great shepherd of the sheep’ according to Paul?
We must at all times remember that – even if the events described in Scripture are literally true — it is unimportant. It is what the spirit of the words says to the spirit in us that counts. Christ himself speaking to the Christ in us. And if the Holy Spirit speaks Truth to us from a painting then God’s work is being done to bring us closer in our relationship to Jesus.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
JOHN 1:29-31
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'
I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'
I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD — G F Handel (“Messiah”)
PRAYER requires CONCENTRATION
GET TO WORK and seek, narrow your interests to this one thing. Have you ever really sought God, or have you only given a languid cry to Him after a twinge of moral neuralgia?
[from ‘Our Brilliant Heritage’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Our Brilliant Heritage’ by Oswald Chambers]
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‘UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN’
Matthew 2:1-2
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
We are so familiar with the story of the birth of Jesus that we recognise a painting such as ‘The Adoration of The Kings’ by Jan Gossaert, as a depiction of the Nativity. It could be a Christmas card. Surely this is how it was – this, or something like it. And yet when you consider the detail of the painting, this is not a straightforward interpretation of the story from Matthew.
This painting introduces many elements that are improbable from a realistic point of view and I do not believe that it is intended to be a realistic vision of the actual occasion. So what are these ‘improbabilities’? Well, let’s consider…
There is an emphasis on symbolism, and perhaps this is the clue to the interpretation here. I am sure that you are probably ahead of me by now, for this is not a depiction of the Christmas scene that we might expect illustrated on the aforementioned Christmas card. Nor is it an Artists Interpretation. No, this is an interpretation by the book. And the book of course, is the Bible. But the painting weaves various stories together to illustrate more than just the visit of a few dignitaries to the baby Jesus. It is a work which attempts to interpret the spirit of the story, and present the viewers – who would be before the altar – with visual theology. This is a Christmas sermon in pictorial form. Nowadays we might see a film version of these events.
Like Muslims and Jews – who share a lot of the same texts – Christians are people of The Book – a Word that has been poured over and interpreted for centuries now – but unlike these other faiths, the earliest Christians can say that they have seen their God – Jesus was ‘the Word made flesh’, and it can therefore be said to be a religion of the image. Our Lord has been interpreted and re-envisioned over and over again, and yet no artist will ever capture the thrill of a personal relationship with the Living God. Through the eyes of those who knew Jesus, we too, see Him.
I recall a discussion I had some years ago with a dear man of God, who disagreed strongly with this interpretation of scripture as visual, and I understand his point-of-view. Jesus is ‘the Word’. My own feeling is that these words are intended to impact in us in a complete and all-embracing way and that includes a visualisation within us, which is part of our connection to the Almighty through His Holy Spirit. Not how Jesus actually looked but of how He shows Himself to us. Often, I can recall moments when the Holy Spirit has touched me, with memories of where I was and my circumstances at the time.
However, He speaks to us in different ways, according to our individuality, and praise The Lord that it is so! These Kings, or wise men, bring their gifts to the birth of the Divine Spirit. They bring aspects of the eternal God, from God, to impart to His birth in us.
This painting introduces many elements that are improbable from a realistic point of view and I do not believe that it is intended to be a realistic vision of the actual occasion. So what are these ‘improbabilities’? Well, let’s consider…
- This ‘stable’ is one of the oddest we have ever seen. These ruins are fairly imposing, and frankly would not offer much in the way of accommodation for any ox, ass or lamb.
- And Mary – she seems to be doing rather well, so sumptuously turned out is she. (And a painting note here – the dress would have been painted in a blue pigment made from ground up lapis lazuli brought at enormous cost from the lapis mines of Afghanistan. It would have been a matter of devotion to depict Mary in such an expensive colour — something seen in many paintings of the time.)
- And the baby – the Christchild – is naked and exposed to the elements at only a few days old — in what looks to be wintery Europe, and not first century Judea.
- The bystanders here are all togged up as if for a pageant – the Three Kings have put on their designer labels, and the shepherds are not exactly dressed for shepherding at any time of year.
- The gifts are held in exceptionally elaborate vessels, so one cannot exactly distinguish what they represent, and look like nothing that Jesus would have recognised.
- The angels are expected, but there is a dove here at the top which seems to be making an early appearance
There is an emphasis on symbolism, and perhaps this is the clue to the interpretation here. I am sure that you are probably ahead of me by now, for this is not a depiction of the Christmas scene that we might expect illustrated on the aforementioned Christmas card. Nor is it an Artists Interpretation. No, this is an interpretation by the book. And the book of course, is the Bible. But the painting weaves various stories together to illustrate more than just the visit of a few dignitaries to the baby Jesus. It is a work which attempts to interpret the spirit of the story, and present the viewers – who would be before the altar – with visual theology. This is a Christmas sermon in pictorial form. Nowadays we might see a film version of these events.
Like Muslims and Jews – who share a lot of the same texts – Christians are people of The Book – a Word that has been poured over and interpreted for centuries now – but unlike these other faiths, the earliest Christians can say that they have seen their God – Jesus was ‘the Word made flesh’, and it can therefore be said to be a religion of the image. Our Lord has been interpreted and re-envisioned over and over again, and yet no artist will ever capture the thrill of a personal relationship with the Living God. Through the eyes of those who knew Jesus, we too, see Him.
I recall a discussion I had some years ago with a dear man of God, who disagreed strongly with this interpretation of scripture as visual, and I understand his point-of-view. Jesus is ‘the Word’. My own feeling is that these words are intended to impact in us in a complete and all-embracing way and that includes a visualisation within us, which is part of our connection to the Almighty through His Holy Spirit. Not how Jesus actually looked but of how He shows Himself to us. Often, I can recall moments when the Holy Spirit has touched me, with memories of where I was and my circumstances at the time.
However, He speaks to us in different ways, according to our individuality, and praise The Lord that it is so! These Kings, or wise men, bring their gifts to the birth of the Divine Spirit. They bring aspects of the eternal God, from God, to impart to His birth in us.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
ISAIAH 9:6-7
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
GABRIEL’S MESSAGE — Moya Brennan
PRAYER requires CONCENTRATION
ON THE MOUNT with God, you saw that all power has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. Are you going to be skeptical in the valley of humiliation? You have gone to God about the thing that is perplexing you over and over again and nothing has happened.
"Why could we not cast it out?" Our Lord never gives an answer to questions of that description, because the answer lies in a personal relationship to Himself.
"This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting," that is, by concentration on God. That is the one purpose for which we are in the world
[from ‘The Love Of God’ by Oswald Chambers]
"Why could we not cast it out?" Our Lord never gives an answer to questions of that description, because the answer lies in a personal relationship to Himself.
"This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting," that is, by concentration on God. That is the one purpose for which we are in the world
[from ‘The Love Of God’ by Oswald Chambers]
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John 19:38-42
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
At a time of great sorrow and loss, and most likely, also of disappointment and bewilderment, Jesus’ followers lay Him to rest. What had seemed to be a time of promise and of new beginning had been taken away. Pilate gave permission to Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus’ body in a tomb — a tomb newly made — leaving no doubt that only Jesus lay there, and no other.
This was not the expected grave for a ‘common criminal’, this was for one of exalted position. Nicodemus prepared Jesus body for the entombment — using myrrh (one of the gifts at Jesus’ birth, according to Matthew), the anointing for burial. Also, His body was bound in strips of linen, mentioned as covering garments for High Priests, angels and all who are pure and holy.
Linen is made from flax, and as well as its use in garment making it was used to make wick for candles — to bring light. We see this in Isaiah 42:3 in a passage about the Messiah … A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. The Light of the World will not be extinguished.
All has proceeded just as prophesied. Now, God’s plan of salvation for mankind can be realised.
This was not the expected grave for a ‘common criminal’, this was for one of exalted position. Nicodemus prepared Jesus body for the entombment — using myrrh (one of the gifts at Jesus’ birth, according to Matthew), the anointing for burial. Also, His body was bound in strips of linen, mentioned as covering garments for High Priests, angels and all who are pure and holy.
Linen is made from flax, and as well as its use in garment making it was used to make wick for candles — to bring light. We see this in Isaiah 42:3 in a passage about the Messiah … A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. The Light of the World will not be extinguished.
All has proceeded just as prophesied. Now, God’s plan of salvation for mankind can be realised.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
REVELATION 19:13-16
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
MY HOPE IS BUILT ON NOTHING LESS — Reawaken Hymns
PRAYER requires CONCENTRATION
CONCENTRATION ON THE part of a Christian is of more importance than consecration.
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Biblical Ethics’ by Oswald Chambers]
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COMING NEXT… (485) THE ADORATION OF THE KINGS 1
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John 19:31-37
Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."
And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."
And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."
As the song says, “There is power in the Blood”. The horror of Jesus death on the Cross is made all the more tragic for our Lord with each humiliation heaped upon Him. Attacking His person in mind, body and spirit. This is godless man believing that He can destroy every trace of what he cannot comprehend. The ‘power in the Blood’ is to be eradicated, and make man’s way paramount.
Except that it cannot be done, and human arrogance always leads to a mighty downfall, while God’s way endures — eternally. As believers, we surely know this to be the case, but do we allow that knowledge to become who we are? There is no shame in understanding that we oft-times do not grasp the fullness of the message of the Cross of Christ.
We were created as reasoning beings, but reason does not explain the ‘power in the Blood’. That is why Scripture reveals prophetic words again and again. Prophecy is not reason, it shows the workings of the unseen, and awakens the heavenly realms buried deep within us; it produces faith and belief in life in the Spirit, by offering proof to our reasoning mind that there is more to life than reason, as we learn from these verses.
Everything in The Bible speaks of Christ and His life touching ours. Here is what commentator Matthew Henry says of these verses…
Except that it cannot be done, and human arrogance always leads to a mighty downfall, while God’s way endures — eternally. As believers, we surely know this to be the case, but do we allow that knowledge to become who we are? There is no shame in understanding that we oft-times do not grasp the fullness of the message of the Cross of Christ.
We were created as reasoning beings, but reason does not explain the ‘power in the Blood’. That is why Scripture reveals prophetic words again and again. Prophecy is not reason, it shows the workings of the unseen, and awakens the heavenly realms buried deep within us; it produces faith and belief in life in the Spirit, by offering proof to our reasoning mind that there is more to life than reason, as we learn from these verses.
Everything in The Bible speaks of Christ and His life touching ours. Here is what commentator Matthew Henry says of these verses…
“A trial was made whether Jesus was dead. He died in less time than persons crucified commonly did. It showed that he had laid down his life of himself. The spear broke up the very fountains of life; no human body could survive such a wound. But its being so solemnly attested, shows there was something peculiar in it. The blood and water that flowed out, signified those two great benefits which all believers partake of through Christ, justification and sanctification; blood for atonement, water for purification. They both flow from the pierced side of our Redeemer. To Christ crucified we owe merit for our justification, and Spirit and grace for our sanctification. Let this silence the fears of weak Christians, and encourage their hopes; there came both water and blood out of Jesus’ pierced side, both to justify and sanctify them. The Scripture was fulfilled, in Pilate’s not allowing his legs to be broken.”
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
ZECHARIAH 12:10-11
And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
PSALM 22:16-17
For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
PSALM 22:16-17
For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
THERE IS POWER IN THE BLOOD — Acapeldridge
LOVE with all your STRENGTH
NEITHER NATURAL LOVE nor Divine love will remain unless it is cultivated. We must form the habit of love until it is the practice of our lives.
[from ‘Our Brilliant Heritage’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Our Brilliant Heritage’ by Oswald Chambers]
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John 19:28-30
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
It is finished; all is accomplished; no more need be done. However, Jesus last request was “I thirst!” and He was given sour wine. At this last moment He was denied water, symbolic of ‘the word of God’ and was given a bitter spirit instead — certainly not the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Sufferings were laid upon Him to the full. He could withstand no more and thus God’s purpose was realised in Jesus.
This is the pivotal moment when God’s Eternal Plan is released to mankind. All we have now in the Holy Spirit stems from this. “It is finished!” is the new beginning. It is the finish for Jesus the man on this earth, but the beginning of Jesus the Christ, the Promised Messiah, but only after He has come through the pits of hell — separated from The Father, and bearing all sin.
For many, this is a difficult concept to get to grips with. This is understandable, for it is inconceivable. It is the stuff of fantasy to the natural mind, and yet Christ’s message has gripped the human race for more than two thousand years and, despite a decline in recent times — mainly in the ‘civilised’ west, who evangelised so many other nations — following Jesus Christ is still the largest religion by far, across the globe.
And yet it is not a religion.
If not religion, then what is it? It is a relationship. A personal meeting of each one of us with Jesus Christ, who intercedes with Father God for us. And that personal is combined with every other believer to form a global Church of Jesus Christ, a mighty fellowship, which is the body of Christ, with Jesus the head … becoming one.
This is the pivotal moment when God’s Eternal Plan is released to mankind. All we have now in the Holy Spirit stems from this. “It is finished!” is the new beginning. It is the finish for Jesus the man on this earth, but the beginning of Jesus the Christ, the Promised Messiah, but only after He has come through the pits of hell — separated from The Father, and bearing all sin.
For many, this is a difficult concept to get to grips with. This is understandable, for it is inconceivable. It is the stuff of fantasy to the natural mind, and yet Christ’s message has gripped the human race for more than two thousand years and, despite a decline in recent times — mainly in the ‘civilised’ west, who evangelised so many other nations — following Jesus Christ is still the largest religion by far, across the globe.
And yet it is not a religion.
If not religion, then what is it? It is a relationship. A personal meeting of each one of us with Jesus Christ, who intercedes with Father God for us. And that personal is combined with every other believer to form a global Church of Jesus Christ, a mighty fellowship, which is the body of Christ, with Jesus the head … becoming one.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
MORE OF YOU — Marty Nystrom
LOVE with all your STRENGTH
"ANGUISH" COMES FROM a word meaning to press tightly, to strangle, and the idea is not a bit too strong for the things people are going through. They are not sentimental things, but real things, where every bit of a man's life is twisted and wrung out to the last ebb.
Can the love of God in Christ hold there, when every thing says that God is cruel to allow it, and that there is no such thing as justice and. goodness? Shall anguish separate us from the love of God? No, we are more than conquerors in it, not by our own effort but by the fact that the love of God in Christ holds.
Can the love of God in Christ hold there, when every thing says that God is cruel to allow it, and that there is no such thing as justice and. goodness? Shall anguish separate us from the love of God? No, we are more than conquerors in it, not by our own effort but by the fact that the love of God in Christ holds.
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John 19:25-27
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"
Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"
Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Jesus here entrusts His mother, Mary, to the care of the disciple whom [He] loved, who we understand to be John himself. And this bond is to be reciprocated by Mary. She is to be a mother to John. Our Lord puts a seal on a relationship which may well already have been a close one, ensuring that each has support at such a distressing time. This is only to be expected in the natural, so there must also be a spiritual dimension to this moment, which is relevant to us today.
Jesus is handing over His love and care for His mother to John, to whom He seems to have trusted as a guardian of His truth. Jesus saw that Peter was the rock on which His church would be built. (Matthew 16:18). Other disciples were given responsibilities that best suited their abilities. Matthew was perhaps chosen because, as a tax collector, he could give an accurate account of things, but John was the carrier of Jesus’ spiritual truth.
The point I wish to make is that we understand that Jesus’ church is the mother of us all [Galatians 4:26b], in that we are raised to the fullness of faith by being in the gathering, part of the Christian community as a participant in a church or fellowship setting. This gathering of Jesus’ church was to be our spiritual mother, raising us to a place where we can come to know Jesus in an intimate and personal way.
It is easy to see from this that a misunderstanding of the ‘mother church’ could lead to a reverence to Mary above that of her son. I do not believe that this was ever Our Lord’s purpose. No, He was showing us that His teaching, would be continued through His church.
Jesus is handing over His love and care for His mother to John, to whom He seems to have trusted as a guardian of His truth. Jesus saw that Peter was the rock on which His church would be built. (Matthew 16:18). Other disciples were given responsibilities that best suited their abilities. Matthew was perhaps chosen because, as a tax collector, he could give an accurate account of things, but John was the carrier of Jesus’ spiritual truth.
The point I wish to make is that we understand that Jesus’ church is the mother of us all [Galatians 4:26b], in that we are raised to the fullness of faith by being in the gathering, part of the Christian community as a participant in a church or fellowship setting. This gathering of Jesus’ church was to be our spiritual mother, raising us to a place where we can come to know Jesus in an intimate and personal way.
It is easy to see from this that a misunderstanding of the ‘mother church’ could lead to a reverence to Mary above that of her son. I do not believe that this was ever Our Lord’s purpose. No, He was showing us that His teaching, would be continued through His church.
MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS
GENESIS 17:16
“And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."
GALATIANS 4:26-27
but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written:
"Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labour!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband."
“And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her."
GALATIANS 4:26-27
but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written:
"Rejoice, O barren,
You who do not bear!
Break forth and shout,
You who are not in labour!
For the desolate has many more children
Than she who has a husband."
I KNOW NOT WHY GOD’S WONDROUS GRACE — Stuart Townend
LOVE with all your STRENGTH
THE MOST PAINFUL and most crushing thing to a man or woman is unrequited love. In summing up the attitude of men to Himself, God says that that is the way men treat Him, they "un-requite" His love. It is only when we come to our wits' ends, or reap a distress, or feel the first twinge of damnation and are knocked out of our complacent mental agility over things, that we recognize the love of God.
[from ‘Still Higher For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers]
[from ‘Still Higher For His Highest’ by Oswald Chambers]